Apparatus for mounting and removing a tyre

This non-provisional patent application claims priority to and benefit of, under 35 U.S.C. § 119, Italian Patent Application No. 102016000111370 filed on Nov. 4, 2016 and titled “Apparatus for Mounting and Removing a Tyre”, all of which is incorporated by reference herein.

This invention relates to an apparatus for mounting and removing a tyre.

In this document, an apparatus for mounting and removing a tyre is also referred to by the term “tyre changing machine” to denote a machine configured to carry out at least part of the operations needed to remove a tyre from a rim of a vehicle wheel and/or the operations needed to mount the tyre to the rim. Such machine is configured to carry out such at least part of the operations preferably at least partly automatically.

At present, one kind of tyre changing machine, described for example in patent document EP2282898B1 comprises a support frame which mounts two slides.

The first of these slides mounts a wheel-holder unit which the rim of a vehicle wheel, or the whole wheel—comprising the rim and the tyre mounted to the rim—can be locked to. The wheel-holder unit defines a locking axis which operatively coincides with the central axis of the rim or of the wheel when the rim of the wheel is locked in place on the wheel-holder unit.

The wheel-holder unit is configured to rotate the rim or the wheel about an axis of rotation which operatively coincides with the locking axis.

The second of these slides mounts a tool-holder turret, on which one or more tools may be fitted and which is configured to interact with the respective rim and/or with the respective tyre in order to perform, in conjunction with the wheel-holder unit, an operation on the wheel which may relate to mounting the tyre to the rim or to removing the tyre from the rim. The tool-holder turret may adopt one or more operating configurations, in each of which it directs at the wheel-holder unit a tool selected from the one or more tools in order to perform the required operation.

In each of these operating configurations, the tool-holder turret keeps the selected tool at a respective operating position in such a way that the tool can perform, in conjunction with the wheel-holder unit, a respective operation relating to mounting or removing a vehicle wheel tyre to or from a rim, respectively.

The machine comprises drive systems which operate on the slides to cause the wheel-holder unit and the tool-holder turret to be translated horizontally relative to each other in a horizontal direction parallel to the locking axis of the wheel-holder unit. Typically, this horizontal direction is at right angles to the force of gravity. These drive systems are also configured to cause the wheel-holder unit to be translated vertically relative to the tool-holder turret in a vertical direction transverse to the locking axis. Typically, this vertical direction is parallel to the force of gravity. These translational movements serve to correctly position the selected tool and the turret keeps the tool in its operating position relative to the rim which is locked on the wheel-holder unit and/or relative to the tyre which is at least partly mounted or to be mounted on the rim in order to perform the required operation with the selected tool.

The wheel-holder unit usually comprises at least one chuck, defining the locking axis, in order to lock the rim or wheel in place, and a motor drive system to set the chuck in rotation about the axis of rotation. The chuck and the motor drive system are quite cumbersome, in particular when they are configured to lock and set in rotation large rims or wheels.

Owing to the size of the wheel-holder unit and the presence of these drive systems, the wheel-holder unit must, in order to enable the selected tool to be positioned correctly relative to the rim and/or to the tyre, be kept at a certain working height from the floor, measured along the vertical direction parallel to gravity.

This may create a source of danger for the operator when the tyre comes free of the rim during tyre removal.

It should also be considered that the turret can keep the selected tool at a fixed working height which may be optimal only for wheels and/or tyres of a certain size but not for wheels and/or tyres of other sizes.

Moreover, it should be considered that the step of locking the rim or the entire wheel to the wheel-holder unit is carried out with the wheel-holder unit positioned at a height lower than the working height.

The locking step may be performed with the help of floorplates which enable the operator to bring the rim or the wheel to a height such as to allow it to be locked to the wheel-holder unit but which is in any case always a height below the working height of the wheel-holder unit when the tool is in operation.

Positioning the wheel-holder unit at the right working height requires adjustment of the height, which may take some time.

Moreover, the step of adjusting the position of the wheel-holder unit along the vertical direction must be repeated at every changeover from a specific operation carried out in the context of a wheel of one specific type to the same operation carried out in the context of another wheel of the same type. The adjustment must also be repeated when passing from removal to mounting, or vice versa, in the context of the same wheel.

Repeating the adjustment is highly time-consuming and has a negative effect on the productivity of the tyre changing machine.

Other examples of tyre fitting machines are provided in patent documents WO2014/037771A1, JP2010285059A and CN105799433.

The aim of this description is to provide a tyre changing machine that overcomes the above mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.

Another aim of this description is to provide a method for automatically carrying out at least one operation relating to the removal or mounting of a tyre respectively from and to a vehicle wheel rim to overcome the above mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.

These aims are fully achieved by a tyre changing machine and method having the features set out in any combination of one or more of the claims accompanying this application and relating to such machine and method.

According to a first aspect, this description relates to a tyre changing machine for performing at least partly automatically operations relating to mounting or removing a vehicle wheel tyre to or from a rim, respectively. The machine is adapted and/or configured to be placed on a supporting surface.

The machine comprises a bed configured and/or adapted to be placed on the supporting surface and/or to remain fixed relative to that supporting surface and on top of the supporting surface during operation of the tyre changing machine.

The bed may be operatively fixed relative to the supporting surface but only rested on the supporting surface itself.

The bed might also be operatively attached and/or coupled to the supporting surface.

The bed is thus operatively fixed on the supporting surface.

The bed comprises and/or defines a floorplate. The floorplate is preferably treadable and surmountable by a wheel and/or a tyre.

The machine comprises a wheel-holder unit. In this application, the term “wheel” may denote either only the respective rim or the entire wheel, including the rim and the tyre mounted and/or at least partly or completely mounted to the rim.

The wheel-holder unit defines a locking axis. The wheel-holder unit is configured to hold the wheel in a locked condition where the locking axis operatively coincides with a central axis of the wheel. The wheel-holder unit is configured to set the wheel, when operatively in the locked condition, in rotation about the locking axis.

In a possible embodiment, the machine includes a tool-holder turret which mounts at least one tool adapted to interact with the tyre (for example, a removal tool, a mounting tool or a bead breaker tool). Preferably, the turret is movably connected to the bed.

The machine comprises at least one tool-holder arm which mounts a further tool (for example, a removal tool, a mounting tool or a bead breaker tool). The machine is configured in such a way that the tool-holder arm can be connected or fixed, preferably in removable manner, to the bed or to the floorplate.

The machine comprises a drive system configured to cause movement of the wheel-holder unit relative to the supporting surface and/or relative to the bed and/or relative to the floorplate and/or relative to the tool-holder arm which is operatively connected to the bed or to the floorplate.

The drive system is configured in such a way that this movement can comprise at least one longitudinal translational component.

The longitudinal translational component is parallel to the locking axis or even directed along the locking axis. The longitudinal translational component is preferably operatively transverse, or even at right angles, to gravity, in which case it may be considered as a “horizontal” translational component.

The drive system is configured in such a way that this movement can comprise at least a first transverse translational component.

The first transverse translational component is transverse to the locking axis or even at right angles to the locking axis. The first transverse translational component is preferably operatively parallel to gravity, in which case it may be considered as a “vertical” translational component.

The drive system is configured in such a way that this movement can comprise at least a second transverse translational component.

The second transverse translational component is transverse to the locking axis or even at right angles to the locking axis. The second transverse translational component is preferably operatively transverse, or even at right angles, to gravity, in which case it may be considered as a “lateral” translational component.

The drive system is configured to generate a movement of the wheel-holder unit comprising only one of the aforementioned translational components or a movement resulting from a simultaneous combination of one or more of these translational components. For example, the movement system may cause the wheel-holder unit to perform a movement which simultaneously comprises the first transverse component and the second transverse component.

The tool-holder arm is configured to hold the further tool in a position of mounting the further tool on the arm. This mounting position corresponds to an operating work position of the further tool where the same further tool, in conjunction with the wheel-holder unit, can perform at least one of the operations relating to the mounting or removal of the wheel tyre to and from the rim, respectively.

The tool-holder arm is configured in such a way that when the further tool is held in its operating position by such arm, such further tool is also fixed or locked to the tool-holder arm itself.

The bed is configured to keep the arm in a position of fixing the arm on the bed itself when the arm is connected to the bed or to the floorplate. This fixing position operatively corresponds to the operating position of the further tool. That means that when the arm is in the fixing position on the bed and the further tool is in the mounting position on the arm, the further tool is in the operating work position and is kept fixed in that operating work position relative to the bed and by means of the arm which is in turn fixed to the bed.

It should be considered that the further tool may also be built directly into the arm, and thus be a part thereof, in which case it is in that mounting position.

The tool-holder arm preferably has a first and a second end. The first end is operatively connected to the further tool; the other end is operatively connected directly to the bed or to the bed floorplate.

The machine may comprise a plurality of tool-holder arms and a plurality of further tools (for example, removal tools, mounting tools or bead breaker tools). Each respective arm is configured to mount a respective further tool.

The machine is configured in such a way that each respective arm can be connected or fixed, preferably in removable manner, to the bed or to the floorplate.

Each respective tool-holder arm is configured to mount the respective further tool and to hold it in a respective position of mounting the respective further tool on the respective arm. This mounting position corresponds to an operating work position of the respective further tool where the same respective further tool, in conjunction with the wheel-holder unit, can perform at least one of the operations relating to the mounting or removal of the wheel tyre to and from the rim, respectively.

In an example embodiment of the machine, the bed is configured to keep the respective arms in respective positions of fixing the respective arms on the bed itself when such arms are connected to the bed or to the floorplate. These fixing positions operatively correspond to the respective operating positions of the respective further tools. That way, when the respective arms are in the respective fixing positions on the bed and the respective further tools are in the respective mounting positions on the respective arms, the respective further tools are in such respective operating positions and are kept fixed in such respective operating positions relative to the bed and by means of the respective arms which are in turn fixed to the bed.

It should in any case be considered that each respective further tool may also be built directly into the respective arm, and thus be a part thereof, in which case it may be said that it is always in that respective mounting position.